This is the site of one biker's retreat. This will be where I post all reflections of my adventures on two wheels. Enjoy...

Monday, March 10, 2008

Labor Of Love

Hey, Sorry it's been so long since I last posted, however, I do have a day job and occasionally they want me to go to it. Can you believe that?Today, they have nothing for me to do so I'm at home trying to catch up a little farther on my "to do" list. Today's task is the only part of owning a Harley that I'm not ecstatic about. I have to give Kate a bath. She's nasty dirty, or at least she was until a little bit ago when I finished washing her. Now I'm waiting for her to dry so I can get to the daunting task of waxing & polishing her. This, by the way, is why I'm removing a LOT of the chrome and going, instead, with powder coating. Powder coated parts are very durable, but show less dirt than Chrome. And you can wash and go without looking completely horrid. (I HATE water spots on Chrome!) After I wash her, I wiped down a lot of the shiny parts with a micro fiber cloth to help stop the water spots. I need to get one of These So there is a fantastic Christmas Idea for the biker on your list... Over the weekend I received my latest purchase to powder coat. I bought some new fork legs off of Ebay. It actually took me two purchases to get the right ones. The first set I bought were advertised as fitting the FXSTC, however AFTER (read "I was a DUMBASS!) I bought them, (For only $5 PLUS SHIPPING!) I did a little research & found out the the Custom has a different fork aesthetic than the other FX Softails. The part would have worked, but it would have altered the look of my bike, which I did NOT want. I wrote the seller, not to ask for a refund, or anything, but just to let them know. I know I would want to know little tidbits like that. Apparently the seller was NOT a like minded individual, the response I got from them was at first argumentative and ended with a reminder that they did not offer a refund. I decided to let it go. Why not? I don't have a need to be acknowledged when I'm right, hell, sometimes I get a laugh from those who fail to see it. Besides, I re listed the parts myself and sold them quite quickly. I even made a few bucks from the sale. By the way, would anyone be interested in using this page as a forum for buying/selling Bike parts? Just let me know & I'll figure out how to set it up. The lesson from this is from now on, I do the research & find out exactly what I need before I shop for it. At least I can avoid the hassle of having to do it twice. With that in mind, I think Kate may be dry enough to start the polishing... Wish me luck.

5 comments:

Hahahah...must be the day to wash the bikes. I washed mine too and oddly enough I was thinking about the dryer deal. I found out that my shop vac works killer if I use it as a blower. (I can switch the tube to the output nozzle. Check to post today on my blog.) It blasts all the wet out of the nooks. You know what works great on the powder coating? Pig spit. Stuff keeps it looking new.

We are clearly of the same mind about washing our scoots. I'd rather ride than wash. Sometimes, though, I just gotta wash her 'cause she gets so damned filthy that even I can't stand it, LOL!

Ditto on your comments about not needing acknowledgement when you're right. I learned a long time ago that fools don't like being told they are wrong and it can quickly escalate into conflict that is of no value to me whatsoever. I have long made a game of saying, "I could be wrong about this, but I thought..." and then waiting to see how long it takes them to figure out I was right. This way, they take great joy in sharing their "discovery" and I get the satisfaction of knowing I was right all along -- and having them tell me so! That seems a lot less stressful and confrontational to me -- and I'm still right! <WEG>

I have to thank you for posting this.. "This, by the way, is why I'm removing a LOT of the chrome and going, instead, with powder coating. Powder coated parts are very durable, but show less dirt than Chrome. And you can wash and go without looking completely horrid. (I HATE water spots on Chrome!)" My husband is getting his bike powder coated, and now I am so happy that he is!

About Me

When I was three years old I fell in love with Harley-Davidson motorcycles. For my fifth birthday all I wanted was a denim jacket with Harley wings on the back. When I didn't get it I cried for a week.